A Strange Encounter
by sudoku
Summary: Bob was wary about the disheveled, shoeless, and nearly naked guy underneath a red cape standing in front of his diner. The guy wanted to borrow his phone to call his friend. It got worse as soon as he heard the guy's phonecall as the guy seemed to think he was a sorcerer and knew the Avengers. Part 9 of "The Adventures of Stephen Strange and His Super Awesome Cloak" series.


-Unbetaed and non native speakers so if you spot some mistakes, please let me know.  
-Warning: inaccurate description of mental illness, slight stereotype about mental illness.

* * *

Bob stared suspiciously at the tall guy with a red cape wrapped around his body standing in front of the diner. He was sure that the guy was stark naked underneath that cape. He was shoeless too.

He looked at his watch. It was five minutes to seven in the morning. It was too early for the drunks to be up. Besides, the guy didn't look drunk. He just looked exhausted with some minor cuts and bruises across his face and uncovered body. His hair was also pretty disheveled like he had a rough night.

The eyes of his uninvited guest lit up when he saw Bob. "Thank goodness, I've been waiting for around one hour for someone to appear. Can I use your payphone? I'll pay you when my friend comes to fetch me."

After a closer look, Bob noticed that the guy was shivering. He decided that the guy was harmless. He doubted he could conceal any weapon under that cape. "Sure. I don't have any payphone but you could use my cell phone. Are you OK? Were you robbed? Do you need me to call the police?" He opened the door and turned on the lights.

His guest followed him inside. "I'm fine. Thanks. Er… sort of. You should see the other cre...guys. There is no need to call the police."

Bob doubted it. His guest couldn't be winning given he was nearly naked without any belonging but there was no need to agitate the poor guy. "Do you need any pants? I have one pair in the kitchen belonging to Louis. He is around your built."

His guest smiled. "That'll be great. I can pay you for those once I borrow some money from my friend."

"There is no need. Just return after you launder them and Louis will be fine. I'll try to find a shirt for you as well."

Luckily he found a blue shirt in his office. It was a few sizes bigger but that would do. He gave the shirt and pants to his guest and let him use the bathroom to change.

A few minutes later, his guest stepped out of the bathroom looking much cleaner with neater hair. H noticed that his guest was quite handsome after some clean up. He raised his eyebrows when he saw his guest was still wearing his cape. He shrugged it off. Who was he to judge people anyway? Perhaps that guy had a cape kink or perhaps he felt more secure wearing his cape after his ordeal.

His guest approached him and extended his right hand. "Hi, I'm Stephen. I'm grateful for your kindness. Once you lent me your phone and let my friend pick me up, I'll be out of your hair soon."

He took Stephen's hand and shook it. He noticed Stephen's hand trembled slightly and there were deep scars decorating his hand. He peeked at Stephen left hand and saw there were full of scars as well. The scars looked old so it was not because of last night. "I'm Bob. Usually nobody comes in until half past seven so it's no bother to me. You can sit anywhere you like. Just take your time." He gave his cell phone to Stephen.

Stephen stepped into the booth closest to the door and started to dial his friend's number.

Bob was concerned about his guest. He went to clean the fourth booth from the door so he could hear Stephen's voice. Multitasking was always good.

"Christine, it's me."

"Yes, I know it's 7 am in the morning and I'm sorry that I woke you up in your day off. It's an emergency. I don't have any money with me and I lost my sling ring. I'd also be naked if it were not for Sophie and the clothes from Bob."

Bob raised his eyebrows again. What was a sling ring? Did the guy call his cloak Sophie?

"Bob is the kind owner or a manager of the diner that I'm currently in. He lent me his clothes and also this cell phone."

"Yes, I should've brought some backup but all other sorcerers were busy. I was the closest. Besides, Sophie is worth more than ten sorcerers."

Bob didn't bother to wipe the table and just sat down to listen. At this rate, Bob's eyebrows would permanently be stuck to his hairline. Sorcerers? Stephen was definitely insane.

"No, I can't call the Avengers for help. It's a threat from other dimensions. I don't want to endanger them, especially when the Avengers are at precarious position. I can't exactly call Tony Stark or Steve Rogers as I don't want to take sides."

The Avengers? Did Stephen have a delusion of grandeur? He seemed so polite and nice. But again with the current political and economic situation, not to mention the occasional threats from super villains, some people would definitely crack. It was a pity as Stephen was still quite young. Everybody younger than Bob was young in his view.

"Yes, I agree that I was being an idiot. I think we've both agreed on that since the first time we met. I should've known it was an ambush by Aggamon as he wanted to trap me in the Purple Dimension. I think he thought that by dissolving my clothes, I'd be too vulnerable to fight. The joke was on him as he didn't take into account that I've gone to a medical school. Then there is also Sophie who was intent on protecting my modesty. And yours truly could also be a badass even without any clothing."

 _So he went to medical school. It was a pity what happened to him now._

"No, you don't need to worry. I've sent the creatures back into their dimension and sealed the rift so they aren't going to get me so soon. Could we discuss this it in person please? I don't want to finish up Bob's minutes and I've bothered him too much as it is."

Bob hoped Christine would get a proper help for Stephen. It seemed he was robbed and instead of admitting it, he created a tall tale that painted him as the hero. He hoped Christine knew a proper mental health counselor. He could always give the number of the therapist used by his cousin to Christine.

"I'm glad that you're entertained by my story."

So he was most likely right about Stephen telling tall tales then.

"As I said, I lost my sling ring. Sophie and I were also exhausted after our fight. Besides, I didn't want to fly commando with Sophie. I don't want to unnecessarily traumatize New Yorkers. So could you please give me a lift?" Stephen told the diner's address to Christine. "See you soon then."

Bob was impressed because not many people could even remember this address after they were told. He didn't even tell Stephen the address. He really hoped Stephen got the help he need so he wouldn't waste his life. He quickly walked back to his office to give Stephen the illusion of privacy.

Stephen knocked on his door.

"Come in."

He gave Bob the phone. "Thank you so much for your help. My friend will be here soon."

Bob nodded. "You're welcome." He heard the front door opened. "That must be Nancy. She could prepare some breakfast for you."

"You're too kind. I've imposed you too much as it is. I just need a cup of water."

"It's really no bother. You return to your seat and I'll bring the water to you."

Bob did a bit more paper work before returning to Stephen. As he carried the jug of water, he was under the impression that the cape's collars took turn in petting Stephen's left and right cheeks and he swapped them away. For a fraction of a second, the cloak and Stephen seemed to freeze on the spot as soon as he saw Bob. He then smiled, stood up, fetch the jug, and thanked him. Bob shook his head. His insomnia must be getting into him. He would drink chamomile tonight and turned in early.

Other diners started to come in so Bob started to greet them and took their orders.

Around half an hour later a petite and pretty woman walked in. "I'm here to pick up the nearly naked guy."

Bob smiled. "You must mean Stephen." He nodded toward the booth closest to the door.

"Thank you." The woman smiled and walked toward Stephen's direction.

Bob went to clean the table next to Stephen's booth as a diner just left.

Stephen rose and they hugged. They both sat down.

"Oh Stephen, you had me so worried. I knew you joining the cult would be the death of me." She looked at the cuts across his body and face. "Are you OK?"

Bob was surprised. So Stephen was in a cult then. He gritted his teeth. Cults always preyed on the mentally weak.

"I'm fine. I've used my own invented spells to disinfect these cuts."

"So combining your medical and cult knowledge. That was kinda impressive."

Stephen grinned. "I'm glad you liked it. And it's still not a cult."

Bob shook his head. So Stephen went to a medical school but ended up joining a cult. Some intelligent people could make foolish choices. At least Christine seemed to humor him.

"I still think it's a cult. So you have the energy to disinfect yourself but not to transport yourself back to your Sanctum."

"Infections are no joking matters. As I said before, we were both exhausted and I've used up my magic reserve. I thought a conventional transport would be better for a change."

"So am I your knight in shining armor then?

"You always are for me. But I'm no damsel in distress."

"Said the guy who needs his Princess Charming and couldn't even protect his own clothes."

Stephen blushed. "I think you haven't said it loud enough. I'm sure Nancy at the kitchen hasn't heard you."

"You're so cute when you blush. Come on milady, your carriage is awaiting you. But let me drive. I don't want you to crash us both."

"Haha, very funny."

Christine and Stephen went to Bob.

Stephen said, "Thanks for all your help. What much do I owe you for the call?"

"It's not much as I have a good plan. Don't worry about it."

"You're too kind. I'll return these clothes as soon as I launder them. If you have any problems you can't solve, please don't hesitate to find me at 177A Bleecker Street. My name is Doctor Stephen Strange

Christine smiled. "Thank you for putting up with Stephen. You must be super patient."

Stephen said, "I'm not as bad a company as I used to."

Bob quickly replied, "You're welcome. Stephen is not a bother at all. He's quite _unique._ "

She coughed. "That's one way to say it."

Both Stephen and Christine were about to turn. Bob quickly called out. "Miss, do you have a minute? Nancy have prepared some breakfast for both of you. It's on the house." He walked toward the counter.

Christine was speechless for a fraction of a second and followed him. "You can call me Christine. How much is that? I'm not penniless like Stephen at the moment."

"Haha, very funny. I'll be waiting outside." As Stephen walked to the door, Bob could have sworn that the cape swished behind Stephen. The diner's door was close and there was no wind inside. He really needed his eight-hour sleep tonight.

As Bob wrapped the sandwiches in a brown bag for Christine, he asked, "Christine, please forgive my intrusion as I'm a very direct person. Does your boyfriend have any mental problem? I accidentally heard he called himself a sorcerer and he claimed he knows the Avengers."

"He is not my boyfriend." As she saw Bob's disbelieving look. She quickly added, "It's complicated. I often wonder about his sanity myself. But he hasn't been clinically declared insane if that's what you concerned about. I should know because I work as a doctor in Metro-General Hospital. He does know the Avengers."

"As for the sorcerer's part?"

"It's complicated. I know it seems to be my default answer but everything to do with Stephen is complicated. The less you know is the better for your health. Trust me. I wish I know less for _my_ sanity."

That was not reassuring at all. There were unknown threats from other dimensions that he was not even aware of! He thought the Avengers were enough but apparently there were more threats out there. He wanted to ask more but Bob was sure he wouldn't get any more answer from the pair regarding sorcery and other dimensions. "Is he a doctor? He just told me he was a doctor."

"He indeed is but he doesn't practice medicine anymore. If you google his name, you would find old information about him. But the new him after the accident is different from the old him. So don't judge the new him based on what you read."

That was a curious but evasive answer. He would definitely google Stephen Strange tonight. "Is he an Avenger? I haven't heard of Doctor Stephen Strange in any news about the Avengers."

Christine smiled. "That's a good question. At the moment, he is not."

"Is he a superhero then?"

"I'm not sure. As I said it's…"

"Complicated," Bob quickly added. "I got the feeling now that everything about him is complicated. As long as he is capable of taking care of himself then I don't need to worry about him."

She patted his hand. "You're a good man, Bob. If he could take care of himself as he claims, he wouldn't call me nearly naked at 7 am using your phone. But if you mean whether he is mentally healthy, then yes, he is…although I often question about it myself as he often endangers himself."

"I'm glad he has got you then."

She smiled again. "Indeed. I'd like to remind him that whenever he gets too reckless. I really need to go before he starts to wonder what we're talking about. And he meant it about if you need any help, he has helped a lot of people with what seemingly unsolvable problems. You also have got my number. Here is my name card." She passed him her name card. "Thanks for everything."

She nodded, turned her back, and walked out the door.

Bob read the name card and wasn't surprised to see that Christine was indeed a doctor. He quickly stored Christine's number in his phone and wrote down Stephen's address. You never knew when you need help. Knowing the number for a candidate for the Avengers never hurt.

* * *

 **Notes:**

-At first I intended to write something for the "Happy Towel Day" where Stephen was attacked and wore his cloak rather than a towel because his cloak is ten-million better than a towel. But as I wrote, I think a stranger thinking that Stephen was insane as he overheard his one-sided conversation would be more interesting so this was the result.  
-I'm sorry that I might describe Aggamon and the Purple Dimension inaccurately.  
-Any feedback and comments are welcome.


End file.
